Semi-Finished Tool Blanks & Preforms
Hyperion’s value-added carbide rods services allow toolmakers to skip the labor-intensive early stages of tool manufacturing and focus their expertise and resources on the intricate finishing touches that set them apart from the competition.
Reduce tool fabrication time, optimize machine use, maximize output, and increase profit margins by letting Hyperion transform premium carbide rods into a variety of semi-finished blanks for step drills and reamers, end mills, and more.
Semi-finished carbide step drills and reamers with a variety of standard and custom features.
Near-net-shape round tool blanks with unique geometries created through compaction, sintering, and optional pre- and post-sintering grinding.
Precision-Ground Step Blanks: Everything but the Flutes
Hyperion prepares pre-machined step tool blanks with a variety of tailored features to expedite toolmaking and support toolmakers’ revenue goals.
Hyperion’s precision-ground step blanks range from basic designs with a cutting portion diameter different than the shank to custom offerings with complex geometries.
Capabilities and customizable features include:
- Multiple stepped or contoured diameters
- Flats, whistle notches, and other clamping surfaces
- Multiple chamfers
- Threads
- Coolant channels
- Micro drill preparation
- Male and female centers and slots
Along with supplying high-quality precision-ground step blanks from a diverse portfolio of application-specific and high-performance carbide rods, Hyperion delivers:
- Quick turnaround times
- Tight tolerances and polished finishes
- Scalable production that can handle custom batches to large-scale orders
Custom Carbide Rod Preforms: Accelerate Product Differentiation
Accelerate the production of complex round tools with Hyperion’s comprehensive precision manufacturing capabilities that produce tailor-made carbide rod preforms that minimize grinding time.
Hyperion attains near-net-shape carbide rod tool blanks by compacting the powder into shape and machining critical features while in the green state. After the preform is sintered to make solid carbide, Hyperion can perform grinding services to achieve the desired stage of tool preparation.
High-quality, customer-specific carbide rod preforms support product differentiation and require minimal finishing to meet unique tooling requirements.
Exchangeable Tool Head Blanks: Efficiency through Precision & Flexibility
Hyperion’s exchangeable carbide tool head blanks provide precision and flexibility for toolmakers and manufacturers in search of efficient, cost-effective solutions.
By investing in premium carbide for the tool head only, manufacturers only need to replace the cutting tip, which reduces waste and costs, especially when machining demanding materials.
Application-specific material grades can be selected for exchangeable tool head blanks to support quick changes between roughing and finishing operations or for different workpiece materials.
Hyperion’s offering ranges from standard shapes that toolmakers can grind into virtually unlimited finished head designs to customized near-net shapes that allow them to focus on high-margin finishing touches.
FAQs about Semi-Finished Round Tool Blanks
What are semi-finished round tool blanks?
Semi-finished round tool blanks are preformed and pre-machined products available to toolmakers. Hyperion’s offerings include precision-ground step blanks, custom carbide rod preforms, and exchangeable tool head blanks.
What are the benefits of semi-finished round tool blanks?
Semi-finished round tool blanks reduce the amount of time and resources toolmakers must dedicate to the early stages of tool production, allowing them to focus on high-value finishing touches. By starting with a carbide preform that is closer to the final product, toolmakers minimize grinding time, optimize machine use, maximize output, and increase profit margins. Semi-finished round tool blanks also facilitate efficient fabrication of unique tools with complex geometries and consistently tight tolerances.
What are precision-ground step blanks?
Precision-ground step blanks are semi-finished round tools, usually for drills and reamers, that are shaped with one or more “steps,” or levels, in their geometry. Step blanks are pre-machined tool blanks for manufacturing precision tools that have a different diameter for the cutting portion than the shank. They can range from basic rods with a single step to a smaller diameter to complex semi-finished tool blanks with a variety of features.
How are precision-ground step blanks made?
Step blanks are manufactured from tungsten carbide rod tool blanks using various machining operations, most notably peel grinding, to attain precision edges and surfaces.
Which types of carbide rods are available to be machined into precision step blanks?
Hyperion’s complete carbide rods portfolio, including solid and coolant channel rods, is available to meet customers’ precision step blank needs. Connect with Hyperion’s experts for a personalized consultation.
What are custom carbide rod preforms?
Custom carbide rod preforms are tool blanks with features created both before and after the sintering process to produce near-net-shape blanks that minimize the machining required to finish tools. Using carbide rod preforms saves toolmakers time and money, especially with the fabrication of unique tools with complex geometries.
How are custom carbide rod preforms made?
Custom carbide rod preforms start as high-quality Hyperion ready-to-press carbide powder compacted into a rod shape, sometimes with general features added. In this soft form, often referred to as a “green form” that has a consistency like chalk, machining operations are performed to remove material and create a more detailed shape according to customer specifications. Green machined preforms are then sintered in a furnace to bond the particles into a dense, solid mass. Additional grinding and polishing can be done on the sintered near-net-shape carbide rod preform to attain desired dimensions and features.
What are exchangeable tool head blanks?
Exchangeable tool head blanks are modular carbide blanks designed for producing exchangeable head tools used in milling, drilling, and reaming applications. Products range from standard bullet- and cone-shaped blanks to stepped and custom blanks with coolant channels and other features.
How are exchangeable tool head blanks made?
Exchangeable tool head blanks are made to customer specifications by cutting and machining stock Hyperion carbide rod blanks or by pressing, performing optional pre-sintering grinding, and sintering custom designs. They are offered in standard shapes that toolmakers can grind into virtually unlimited finished head designs or near-net shapes that allow them to focus on high-margin finishing touches.
Where are Hyperion’s semi-finished round tool blanks made?
Semi-finished blanks are manufactured at Hyperion facilities in the USA, Mexico, Germany, and Italy. All Hyperion’s semi-finished round tool blanks start with high-quality ready-to-press tungsten carbide powder processed at facilities in Grenoble, France, and West Branch, Michigan, USA, using Western-sourced raw materials.
